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Posted: May 1, 2008

Unique Harvard-MIT alliance joins forces with The Journal of Life Sciences to foster greater understanding of convergence in healthcare

(Nanowerk News) The Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology and The Journal of Life Sciences announced today the formation of a strategic partnership committed to fostering greater understanding of the convergence of computing, engineered devices, and biological innovation within healthcare.

"We are delighted to join forces with such a distinguished institution with such vast institutional knowledge," said Steve Burrill,
co-publisher of the San Francisco-based journal. Under the terms of the alliance, which is strictly a resource-sharing agreement and does not involve any financial consideration, two representatives of HST, as the Harvard-MIT Division is known, will join the journal's editorial advisory board. HST will produce a regular "Convergence" column on the TJOLS website, and will help develop convergence-related podcasts, webcasts, and supplements.

"This relationship will give our editors broad access to one of the world's most vibrant research communities," said Burrill. "Our readers, as well as the broader scientific and investment community, will benefit from a better informed, more cutting edge discussion of how molecular biology, computing, nanotechnology, and mechanical devices are synergistically blending together to advance human health."

HST is a collaborative division of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School. Since 1970, it has been a leader in healthcare research and training, offering a unique approach to educating physician-researchers about the latest advances in technology, while at the same time providing hands-on, clinical training for graduate students in medical physics, engineering, and mathematics.

"We have been impressed with the journal's commitment to intelligent reporting and feature writing in this space," said Martha Gray, outgoing director of HST. "The visibility and outreach available to us through the print magazine, the TJOLS website, podcasts, and weekly news briefs will be an invaluable resource in helping us further a national discussion on the role of scientific innovation in patient care, medical technology research, and health policy issues."

Founded in 2007, The Journal of Life Sciences, a joint venture between Burrill & Company and the California Healthcare Institute, reaches an audience of more than 22,000 stakeholders in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, academic research, venture capital, law, and policymaking.

"At one point," said Gray, "we had considered trying to launch our own publication to advance awareness of the issues we care most about. Then we realized that TJOLS was already serving the very objectives that we had in mind."

David Gollaher, co-publisher of the journal and CEO of the California Healthcare Institute, said the alliance between these two institutions is a natural fit. "Since the inception of the journal, we have been focused on the ideas and issues that are at the heart of HST--the blurring of boundaries among information technology, machines, and biological agents. Through CHI, we have immediate access to a great many of the best minds in this space, but our network is somewhat biased toward the West Coast. By drawing HST into our circle, we will be much more attuned to what is going on nationally and internationally."

"For our part," said Gray, "innovation requires communication, along with public support. By helping to develop content for TJOLS, we will be better able to influence thought leaders in business, in government, and throughout the rest of the healthcare community."

About HST

The Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) brings together the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard Medical School (HMS), Harvard University, the Boston area teaching hospitals and an assortment of research centers in a unique collaboration that integrates science, medicine and engineering to solve problems in human health. Over 400 graduate students of science, medicine, engineering and management take their training side by side at HST. And HST's more than 60 full-time faculty members and 200 affiliates guide these students into vibrant careers as medical pioneers. Its interdisciplinary approach to biomedicine leads to stunning innovations, such as the drug regimen that transformed HIV/AIDS into a treatable disease and the only noninvasive technology for observing the brain in action. These accomplishments are but a few of the many examples of how HST's unique culture drives progress from the laboratory bench to the patient's bedside. For more information, visit hst.mit.edu/ .

About The Journal of Life Sciences

The Journal of Life Sciences is a bi-monthly magazine founded in 2007. Focusing on the space "where science and society meet," the journal offers fresh analysis and commentary about the impact of biotechnology and the other bio-sciences on business, policy, and culture. The journal's intelligent, incisive, and skeptical editorial style helps readers keep up with the changes in the life sciences, which will soon affect nearly every aspect of modern life, from the food we eat to the way we approach diseases, clean the environment, and defend countries from terrorism. The journal is published by Burrill & Company and the California Healthcare Institute (CHI). Burrill & Company is a San Francisco based global leader in life sciences with activities in Venture Capital, Private Equity, Merchant Banking and Media and CHI is a nonprofit public policy research organization for California's life sciences industry. For more information, visit www.tjols.com .